Apple May Soon Start Manufacturing iPhones & Other Apple Products in India!

By Editorial Staff On Dec 21, 2016

In what could be yet another big win for #MakeInIndia initiative launched by the Modi Government, Apple is now keen to start manufacturing iPhones in India. Citing unnamed senior Govt officials WSJ (paywalled) has said that Apple is currently in discussions with the Government.

Apple wants to assemble their iPhones in India, which are currently imported as CBU or completely built units, due to which iPhone prices are very high (in fact some of the highest in the world). Assembling iPhones in the country will mean iPhone prices will come down and will be at par or even lower than the American market.

And Apple may not limit manufacturing to iPhones only – other Apple products like iPad, iMac, Macbooks may also be assembled in India!

Rumours about Apple’s local manufacturing and local retail stores have been making rounds for more than a year now. These rumours gained further momentum when Tim Cook visited India in July and met Narendra Modi.

Earlier in May 2016, Foxconn, the Taiwan based contract electronics manufacturer and chief supplier of Apple had chosen Maharashtra to manufacture their ‘Made in India’ iPhones. As per reports, Foxconn is spending close to $10 billion to create a massive manufacturing plant, which would be spread across 1200 acres.

While there has been no official statement from Apple themselves, it is clear that Apple’s local manufacturing in India will start sooner than later. Government has already relaxed local sourcing norms for manufacturing in India, which was a major roadblock for companies like Apple, Xiaomi and others to commence local manufacturing.

While it may be too late for iPhone 8 to have a ‘Made in India’ tag, it is highly likely we may see iPhone 9 with one!

Make in India Success

Make in India initiative has seen some great success, especially in smartphone manufacturing space, where majority of handset makers have either already setup their manufacturing units or are in the process of doing so. ( See the list at the bottom the article)

In fact, Make in India success can be gauged from the fact that it has send Jitters to China with one of their leading tabloids warning about India’s sudden rise in manufacturing space.

Here are major highlights of Make in India vision: